Hello, How do you do?
by KeronianLibrary
Summary: An alternate scenario for the meeting of Momoka and Fuyuki. A light oneshot.


In an alternate universe, Momoka meets Fuyuki. One-shot.

**Hello. How do you do?**

Momoka wondered what was for lunch as she strolled casually down the hallways of her school. She had found that concentrating on food took her mind off her nerves. Being the new kid is never easy, but for Momoka, it was downright impossible. Already alienated by her reputation as an unapproachable rich girl, the situation was only exacerbated by her inborn shyness. It was definitely not from her parents, Baio and Oka that she got her personality. Baio was the essence of outgoing. The most successful businessman in world history and a true gentlemen, he had rightfully earned the respect or at least the fear of nearly every human on Earth. Oka was successful, but in her own way. When it came to fighting, she was unmatched, and currently travels the world searching out the toughest opponents. Just thinking about such a lifestyle made Momoka shiver. She was certainly nothing like her parents.

Momoka shook her head and silently chided herself. Such thoughts would only impede slow process of making friends. She envied the girls who could introduce themselves with such confidence. Usually they were smart or good at sports, but what could Momoka show off anyway. Standing in line for bread, Momoka tried to list off her talents. There weren't many, and the line hadn't moved a foot when she had finished it.

Sighing with resentment, Momoka gnawed on her bread alone outside. While girls chatted energetically in groups, the heir of the vast Nishizawa Empire ate alone. A boy walked past, awkwardly holding a girl's hand. They were both blushing which made Momoka instinctively turn away.

_I must be nice…to have someone like that. I don't really know anything about boys. Heck, I wouldn't know what to do if I were ever approached by one._

Momoka chuckled dryly at the prospect of a boy talking to her. It was truly preposterous.

_It's hard to get people to talk to you when they think you're some sort of snooty princess…being rich really isn't what it's cracked up to be._

_Then again, _she thought, _I shouldn't think things like that. I'm very lucky…but it can be frustrating sometimes._

The sun felt warm and the grass was cool. Falling back, she spread her hands out as far as they would go and sighed a long deep sigh. It was going to be a tough year. How many days had passed? Momoka had forgotten, but she knew at least a week. She wondered vaguely if she should make the first move in the mysterious ritual of friend-making, but dismissed the idea quickly. Better to be unknown than to look stupid.

Momoka had singled out the person who she was determined to become friends with. Over the last month, she had realized that school was just not going to work without at least another person to talk to. Analyzing her class for days, she looked for the qualities that would warrant immediate denial and tried to avoid them. A week after that, she had the list narrowed down to one.

A boy, an outcast like herself, whose face was always buried in the weirdest books, is who she chose. Fuyuki was his name. Occult was the recurring theme, but she had noticed him reading other texts, especially those relating to travel. His single-minded tenacity focused at whatever task he started was truly inspiring, and the fact that he didn't give a wack about anybody else's feelings was a plus. Momoka wished that she had that skill, but the judging eyes of her classmates always made her feel sick.

Momoka always went outside to eat her lunch, choosing privacy in the cool shade of a tall tree over the ambiance of a bustling classroom. Today however, she decided to eat inside, for she never saw Fuyuki anywhere on the grounds during school hours. Sure enough, as she pulled a homemade bento from her bag, she noticed Fuyuki doing much the same with three rice balls.

Sliding her pink chopsticks from a thin drawstring bag, Momoka looked keenly at the boy. He socialized very little, and only with other guys. While the girls didn't seem adverse to his presence, they walked past him without a hello. Momoka took the first bite of her shrimp tempura and savored the crisp flavor.

_Wouldn't it be nice if Fuyuki and I could eat lunch together!_

_Huh?_

Momoka twitched in her seat, causing it to slide ungracefully backwards with a dissonant screech. A few girls turned to look at her for a moment, and then turned back to their conversations with a shrug. She blushed, but not from embarrassment.

When she had started on her obsessive search for the perfect first friend, she had only been looking for somebody to talk to, not a boyfriend, but the more she actually looked at Fuyuki, the more she realized that he was pretty hot. Fuyuki wasn't muscular, far from it, but Momoka wasn't into the athletic type anyway. Contrary to his skinny form though, his features were rather well defined, and his shoulders were surprisingly broad. Tall would be an overstatement, but he was above average to be sure. Clothes that were neatly pressed and shoes that were polished adorned his body and made Momoka more confident: any man who cares that much for a school uniform ought to be a gentleman.

_Then again, it probably is his mother who does the laundry…_

Momoka figured it didn't really matter. If the mother cared that much for her son's clothes, she couldn't have been half bad at raising him. Leaving naïve thinking behind, Momoka chewed a cucumber thoughtfully.

_I should just go up and say hello. What's the worst he could do?_

She immediately regretted asking herself that question and instead wished that her imagination were a bit less active. The sound of two girls chatting with a group of three guys reached her ears.

_They're so bold…or maybe I'm just completely hopeless. They would have no trouble walking up and saying hi to Fuyuki. Maybe if I weren't so rich, it would be easier to make fri- NO! I can't think like that! If I keep making excuses for myself, I'll probably DIE lonely!_

Momoka shook her head back and forth vigorously to clear out the doubt.

_I just have to go up to him and say hello. What's so hard? Just walk up there. Walk up there. Walk up there. Walk up there. Walk up there. Walk up there._

The bell rang for end of lunch. Momoka cradled her head in her hands in defeat.

_Ohhhh…is it the end of lunch already? I never got to say anything to Fuyuki! Why was I just repeating the same thing over and over in my head? It's like my mind is messing with me._

"Is something the matter?"

Momoka's head whipped up so fast that she yelped and began to massage it. Apologizing quickly, she took a sip of juice from her thermos. Looking up, the looming form of Fuyuki filled her vision. Momoka's eyes dilated.

"You're never in the classroom during lunch, and all you did was stare at me for the last ten minutes. Are you alright?"

Momoka had to will her body not to spit the juice out on the spot. It was truly awful. Beyond mortification, Momoka jumped up, bowed low uttering an apology that rang loudly in her own ears, and sprinted for the door. Throwing it open, she bumped straight into the teacher which caused the whole class to burst into uproarious laughter. Nearly in tears by this point, Momoka muttered a quick apology and said something ambiguous about going to the nurse's for a stomach ache, and took off down the hall.

Half blinded by the tears that now began to free fall, Momoka dashed through the empty hallways. She felt like she would rather run forever than to stop and face the mocking faces of the entire world, but luck continued to oppose her. As she sprinted around the corner, she knocked into a "slick floor" warning sign and her grip-less school shoes slid uncontrollably on the waxed floor. Twisting every which way, Momoka tried to grab onto something solid, but she was stuck in the middle of the hallway. Looking forward, time seemed to slow down. The numbers above each room seemed to crawl by. Dimly, Momoka saw her own class in the distance.

_Wait what?_

Time seemed to speed up all of a sudden.

_Wait, NO! Did I just run all the way around the second floor? No no no no no no no no no! I can't stop!_

With a crash, Momoka smacked hard into the sliding doors of her classroom, her face pressed up against the glass for her entire class to see.

Momoka wished that she were dead.

_Not only must he think I'm a spoiled rich girl, but a creeper for staring at him, and a weirdo-attention whore for slamming into the door like that…what am I to do now._

Momoka was alone in her room. The sky was dark, and a cool breeze ruffled her expensive silk curtains reminding her that winter was soon to arrive. Sighing heavily, she slumped over her school books, arms stretched out over the smooth surface.

_Look at him today!_ It was the following morning. Momoka slipped quietly into her classroom trying to avoid attention. When nobody pointed and laughed at her, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. All that worrying was for naught. Sitting down, Momoka tried her best to avert her gaze from Fuyuki, but it was impossible. His hair was combed a little different today, or maybe it was that he hadn't had time to comb. There were some patches that stuck out in little spikes, which may have been bed-head, but Momoka liked to think that it was intentional. Either way, he looked even more attractive than normal.

_Why am I thinking about him like this? Just a couple of weeks ago I would have just passed him by. Just because he seems a little more reclusive and mysterious doesn't automatically mean he'll be a good boyfriend…I mean friend! What am I thinking! The only interactions we've had were bad, and I'm thinking about him as my boyfriend. I'm pathetic!_

With a start, Momoka realized that she was staring at the back of his head again and quickly averted her gaze.

_This is bad…my self control is so…_

The bell rang for the start of class. Momoka had never been quite so happy to hear those clear brass notes.

All through math, however, resistance proved horribly futile. No, if 3x = 12, x does not equal Fuyuki. Grinding her teeth in frustration, Momoka erased yet another mistake. If close inspection of her paper was made, the imprint of the word Fuyuki could be seen throughout the page. Her mind just wasn't on the studies.

_I can't help it! I admit it! I'm totally in love with him!_

Momoka slammed the table. _I get it! This is what first love is like!_

The evening was cold as Momoka trudged toward the mansion. Instead of taking the limousine, she had instructed her bodyguards and Paul not to follow her home, saying that she needed some time to herself. Looking back, she regretted that decision. Most of the trees were almost completely bare now, providing little shelter against the howling gale.

_I was planning to come up with a foolproof way to start a conversation with Fuyuki on this walk, but it's so cold, it's hard to think at all! I have the worst luck._

Suddenly, as she made it to the park halfway between the school and the Nishizawa Mansion, a warm smell caught her attention.

_Sweet potatoes! I was just getting hungry anyway._

The heat emanating off the golden surface of the potato was enough to make her feel better. She was just about to take her first bite, when movement out of the corner of her eye made her pause.

_It's Fuyuki!_

Leaping behind the nearest tree, she watched with rapt attention as he walked toward the sweet potato stand. He rummaged in his pocket.

_I guess he's cold too. Ohhh…what am I doing watching him like this! If he catches me, I'm sure he'll think I'm super creepy. Ah! It looks like he's ordering the same thing as me! It looks like we have that much in common at least._

As Momoka stared, she slowly began to notice that something was wrong. Fuyuki was digging desperately in his book bag for something, but couldn't find it. Finally, he stood up and bowed to the vendor before walking away.

_Looks like he apologized…he must have forgotten his wallet!_

Against her better judgment, Momoka began to follow Fuyuki down the path, dodging behind trees and crouching under shrubs.

_I haven't bitten into my potato yet and it's still steaming hot…maybe I should give it to him! Yeah! That's a great way to break the ice! But…what if he thinks I'm weird and doesn't take it, or worse, calls for help thinking I'm trying to assault him or something! What if he doesn't recognize me!_

Staring down at her feet, Momoka sighed, expelling a puff of white vapor from her mouth. It was getting cold in earnest. She began walking aimlessly.

_I can't do it, _she admitted finally to herself, _I don't have the courage to even say hello._

Her face hit something soft. In surprise, she flailed her arms wildly and fell backwards, landing softly on a patch of grass. Looking up, she almost fainted. It was Fuyuki looking down on her in surprise.

"Nishizawa-san!"

Time stopped for a moment as their eyes locked. Adrenaline kicked in, and Momoka's mind cleared.

_OK. There are a couple of things I could do here. I could run away, or I could give him the potato and start a conversation. The safest course of action would probably be…running away, I guess…but how could I face myself if I did that? No! I must talk to him! I can't be afraid all my life! This is the day, the moment where I take charge of my destiny. I don't want to be alone anymore. I'm tired of this…this existence. When I'm happy, I want Fuyuki to be with me. When I'm sad, I want to talk with Fuyuki. There will be times when I'm scared, no doubt, but when I run, I want Fuyuki by my side. It's the way it has to be!_

"I…I…I…"

_Fight, Momoka, __**FIGHT!**_

"I…I couldn't help but see you…erm…forgot your wallet…and…um…HERE!"

With a jerky motion, she thrust out the potato and closed her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence. Had he walked away? Did he not want it?

"Really? Can I have it?"

Momoka's heart skipped a beat. He had talked to her. It was if all her prayers had been answered and suddenly the floodgates of love could not contain the crushing swell.

"Of course! It's a cold night isn't it?"

"I guess so! It's kinda embarrassing, though. You saved my life!

"WHAT? REALLY?"

"Well, not really, it's just a figure of speech, but I _was_ getting pretty cold."

"Oh…ha ha ha!"

Momoka and Fuyuki walked to the end of the park together, chatting amiably about school. Momoka couldn't remember a time when she had been happier. It was truly a dream come true. They eventually came to two roads: one led to the Nishizawa Mansion, and the other, to the residential suburbs where Fuyuki lived. Momoka hated to part ways.

"We haven't talked much, have we Nishizawa-san?"

"No, I guess not…"

_Now or never!_

"…but I think we could be good friends though!"

"I would be honored to be your friend!"

The last comment surprised Momoka. Her head shot up, eyes wide, "What? Are you serious?"

"Why so shocked?"

"Well…um…I just thought you might think I'm weird. You know, because I was staring at your back in class…"

"I suppose that was a little strange," commented Fuyuki, "but now that I know that you wanted to be friends, I don't think it's weird at all! Plus, now that I think about it, I'm pretty odd myself, I'm sure you've noticed."

Momoka's heart felt like it was going to burst as Fuyuki flashed her a smile. She had no doubt in her mind now that it was the best day of her life. The best part, was that she knew it was only the beginning.

"Thank you, Hinata-kun! I'll do my best to be the best friend I can be!"

"Whoa whoa. No need to be so formal! You really are an interesting person, aren't you, Nishizawa-san."

"I…I guess."

After they bid their goodbyes, Fuyuki walked down the street and turned the corner. Momoka watched him until he disappeared from view, and then began to run. She ran faster than she had ever run before until the streetlights looked like long lines of yellow and the houses blurred together.

Finally, when she could run no more, she sat down on a bench near her mansion to catch her breath. As she looked up at the heavens, swirled with purple and blue, touched with white dots, she began to laugh. So this was friendship! So this was love! The sky had never looked so beautiful.

_Success is sweetest when it's shared. _–Howard Schultz


End file.
